The King of Logic
Ever since that day, my palace standing had been officially upgraded from "sickly golden child" to "the King's favored golden child."
His Majesty had evidently ordered Court Lady Han to keep her lips tightly sealed. While the court maids who had caught sight of my private audience with King Sukjong now cast deeply meaningful glances my way, not a single one dared to ask a question.
In any case, starting from that day, an essential task had been added to my daily routine.
"Bong-bong-ah, what are those circles for?"
At Seol-hyang's question, I lifted my head from the corner of the hangul primer where I had been diligently penciling tiny rings.
"It'th a thecret!"
There were now three circles.
That meant there was still time left before the "few days" I had promised King Sukjong ran out.
"Look at our little lucky charm. Here I thought you were still just a baby, but you already have secrets of your own?"
"I'm not a baby anymore!"
"Tsk. Now you're making me sad. I wish our Bong-bong could stay a four-year-old child maid forever."
Eek.
How could she say something so horrifying?!
Even so, knowing full well that Seol-hyang's teasing sprang from genuine affection, I beamed brightly and chirped back.
"I'm gonna grow up super fast and turn five, then ten, then twenty! But even when I'm all grown up, I'll stwill be Hamanim's child maid forever and ever!"
A broad, tender smile spread across Seol-hyang's face.
"Aigoo, Hwang Bong-bong. You're the reason I keep on living, truly! What would I ever do without you?"
...And that's how it should be.
Though I knew it was just an affectionate turn of phrase, her words lingered in the quiet corners of my mind.
Right. We have to live. We have to survive.
Jang Hui-bin. Seol-hyang.
And me, Hwang Bong-bong.
Once my health had fully returned, I was entrusted with a brand-new responsibility.
Namely, running errands to the Crown Prince's official residence, Jeoseungjeon.
Because contact between Chwiseondang and Jeoseungjeon was so frequent, I found myself making the trek once or twice every day.
Which is honestly great for me.
I welcomed the assignment with open arms, as it provided the perfect pretext to wander outside the walls of Chwiseondang.
"I will be right back!"
Offering a polite, wobbly bow, I set out from the compound.
Inside the cloth bundle clutched in my hands were packs of medicinal herbs that Consort Jang had prepared with her own hands.
Hui-bin might be emotionally volatile, but her love for her son is second to none.
That thought brought to mind a certain vicious rumor that had circulated after her demise—the infamous piece of unofficial history alleging that just moments before drinking the lethal poison, Jang Hui-bin had violently seized the Crown Prince's manhood and torn it, rendering him barren.
Past or present... no, whether now or three centuries from now, fake news is always the real scourge.
Clicking my tongue in mild disgust, I stepped through the gates into the courtyard of Jeoseungjeon.
Now then, where is Eunuch Mun, the savior of my life...?
I was craning my neck to scour the grounds when—rustle.
Whoa, startled me.
Someone was sitting inside the pavilion on one side of the courtyard.
The boy rose to his feet and leveled an unblinking gaze straight at me. Six or seven years old, perhaps? Yet his eyes held an unnervingly sharp edge for someone so young.
Why does he look so weirdly familiar...?
I stared blankly at the boy, whose silks were remarkably opulent, until—
Gasp!
That face...! How could I not have recognized him immediately?
If we were talking about this person right here, he was none other than the sole monarch of the Joseon Dynasty to leave behind a perfectly intact, surviving royal portrait!
Right at that moment, a sharp rebuke thundered from the child's lips.
"How insolent! However tender your years, you are undeniably a court maid. Having surely learned palace etiquette and propriety by now, how dare you hold your head high in the presence of a royal prince?"
...Wow. The King of Logic in the flesh.
"G-Greetings, Royal Prince-jaga."
In my frantic rush to offer a proper greeting, the weight of my oversized toddler head overwhelmed my balance, and I tumbled forward flat onto the pavers.
Might as well take a breather while I'm already on the ground... Well, not really, but I stayed flat on my belly and feigned a posture of utmost devotion.
I knew our paths would cross eventually, but did it have to be here of all places?
There was a very good reason my nerves were frayed, child or not. For who was this boy boasting such an impossibly rigid, prickly temperament at the mere age of seven?
The icon of the wooden rice chest...
Suk-bin Choe's son, Prince Yeoning, Yi Geum.
The future King Yeongjo the Great.
"I beg for forgiventh! In my ignorance, I failed to recognize Jaga and committed a great rudenth!"
To quell the wrath of this Master of Logic, I poured out an apology that was as logically sound as it was utterly servile. Grovel first. That was the only way to survive.
If I get on his bad side, it's over for good.
I swallowed dryly.
Prince Yeoning Yi Geum was that kind of man. An intensely neurotic perfectionist who, once someone fell from his grace, would despise even his own flesh and blood to the bitter end.
They said whenever Crown Prince Sado left his presence, he would roar for water to wash out his ears.
Carefully taking the temperature of the room, I lifted my chin by a mere hair's breadth.
After glaring down at me for what felt like an eternity, he finally parted his lips.
"Rise. Lest anyone who sees this misunderstand and assume I am throwing my weight around in my elder brother's quarters."
...You literally were throwing your weight around, though.
Honestly, even your royal dad never went this far with me.
The second I scrambled back to my feet, Prince Yeoning fired off an interrogation.
"So, who are you and how old are you?"
"My name ith Hwang Bong-bong, and I am four yearth old."
"Your residence? There should be no reason for His Highness's quarters to keep a child maid."
"I am... a maid of Chwiseondang..."
Hah. Truthfully, I had dreaded admitting it.
The relationship between the princes' birth mothers—Suk-bin and Hui-bin—was nothing short of lifelong mortal enmity. Which meant...
Simply belonging to Chwiseondang is enough to make me his enemy by default.
Ugh, landing on the bad side of someone this petty was the absolute last thing I needed.
"Chwiseondang? Hmm..." Prince Yeoning murmured quietly under his breath.
Yes... What? Should I fetch you a bowl of ear-washing water right now?
"My mother has always spoken of how arduous life was during her days as a court maid. Having entered service at such a young age yourself, you must face many hardships."
"...?"
What? Did I just hear that correctly?
His sudden, unexpected display of empathy left me completely dumbfounded. Striving to maintain my composure, I peeked upward.
Prince Yeoning's gaze had softened considerably.
Huh?
In fact, faint and barely perceptible though it was, had he just... smiled?
Well, he is only seven years old right now. It's too early to judge his entire character based on his future self.
He was certainly no ordinary boy, but perhaps there was no need to tremble in mortal terror.
It was right then that approaching footsteps echoed across the courtyard.
Soon after, draped in his deep blue dragon robes, the Crown Prince stepped into view.
In that very instant, an angelic, impeccably virtuous smile bloomed across Prince Yeoning's face. Watching his entire demeanor transform in a split second, a prickle of suspicion surfaced in my chest.
Did he know the Crown Prince was due to arrive and deliberately switch his act?
Knowing Yeoning's historical temperament, it was a thoroughly reasonable suspicion.
"Geum-ah. Forgive me for keeping you waiting. The royal lecture ran a bit longer than intended."
"How could a younger brother ever fault his elder brother for pursuing his studies? Even the time spent awaiting Brother brings me immense joy."
Whoa... The silver tongue on this kid.
In what realm of reality is this the eloquence of a seven-year-old?
While I was marveling in genuine awe, the Crown Prince turned his gentle gaze toward me.
"By the way, Bong-bong is here as well. It seems you have already greeted Yeoning. What delightful conversation were the two of you sharing?"
Well, Your Highness, your half-brother made me grovel flat on the cold ground and yelled his head off at me...
I desperately wanted to tattle on every single detail without missing a beat, but that was obviously impossible.
Resigning myself to my fate, I offered a broad, innocent toddler grin.
"Yeoning-gun-jaga's mama was a court maid too, and since it was really hard for her, he thaid it must be hard for me too!"
I garbled it like a proper four-year-old, so please decipher it with generous wisdom.
"Haha, is that so? Geum-ah, to think you already possess such magnanimity to consider the plight of a young child. It puts me to shame as your elder brother."
"Your Highness flatters me excessively. I merely strive each day in the humble hope of emulating even half of Brother's virtue."
Back and forth they went, smooth as silk.
Children born and raised in the royal palace truly are cut from a different cloth.
The dialogue between the Crown Prince and Prince Yeoning was mature beyond belief for boys of thirteen and seven.
If I were an ordinary court maid, I would probably be smiling warmly, touched by the beautiful bond between the royal brothers.
Just like the attendants standing behind the Crown Prince were doing right now.
However... I was a transmigrator who carried the weight of the future.
These brothers, currently presenting such a picture of tender warmth, would later become the tragic centerpieces of one of history's darkest mysteries: the suspected royal poisoning.
One as the victim, and the other as the accused perpetrator.
"...Bong-bong-ah."
"..."
"Bong-bong-ah?"
"Ah, yeth? Yes, Your Highness!"
I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't even heard him call my name. Get a grip on yourself, Hwang Bong-bong.
"What errand brings you to my quarters today?"
"Ah, I came to deliver thith! It'th medicinal herbs thent by Hui-bin-jaga. She thaid it is very good for replenishing your energy!"
"It looks heavy. Did you carry that all the way here by yourself?"
Touched by the Crown Prince's gentle concern, I swung my short little arms with proud vigor.
"Not heavy at all! Your Highneth, Bong-bong is thtrong!"
The Crown Prince let out a low, amused chuckle. I laughed along with him... until my eyes collided squarely with Prince Yeoning's.
...He's observing me.
I could feel him taking in every single word, every fleeting expression, every nuance that passed between the Crown Prince and me.
Out of nowhere, Prince Yeoning spoke up.
"Brother. I find myself somewhat envious."
...Envious? Where did that random bolt from the blue come from?
"I have always thought how wonderful it would be to have a little sister. Yet Brother has already found such a child."
The Crown Prince treating me like a sister? Don't go jumping ahead of yourself...
And sorry to burst your bubble, kid, but whether full-blooded or half-blooded, you're never getting a younger sister in this lifetime.
"A little sister, you say? Haha. It is true that I am fond of Bong-bong. She is remarkably sensible, and a child of truly good nature."
...Me?
I suddenly wondered what kind of person I actually appeared to be through the Crown Prince's eyes.
"Geum-ah. If I consider this child as a little sister, can you, my brother, not do the same?"
Huh?
The words struck like a sudden clap of thunder on a clear day.
"There is not much of an age gap between you and Bong-bong, so the two of you will surely make good playmates."
Crown Prince... I thought so highly of you until now.
Why on earth are you doing this to me all of a sudden...?